Job outsourcing website Airtasker has raised its recommended hourly rate amid reports some workers contracted through the site were earning below minimum wage.
Airtasker is an online platform where people advertise tasks they need done and potential workers pitch for the job.
A recent report by Unions NSW revealed workers were receiving $17 per hour for jobs like cleaning and gardening and only $14.45 an hour for office administration and research after Airtasker took its 15 per cent fee.
Minimum wage in Australia is $17.70 per hour as of July 1.
On Monday Airtasker updated its recommended rates of pay by up to 45 per cent so workers get at least $21.25 per hour for small or basic tasks after the 15 per cent fee.
The company said it adjusted its price guide based on a review of market data, not in relation to Union NSW's report.
"The average value of tasks on Airtasker has increased over time as the platform has grown. We've updated our recommended rates to reflect this. This isn't the first time we have done this," CEO Tim Fung said in a statement on Tuesday.
Unions NSW says the updated price guide is a positive step but the company still has other "alarming workplace breaches" including no superannuation, no workers compensation and no casual or leave loading.
"Websites such as Airtasker unpick 150 years of protest and agitation for decent conditions. It's not only the workers directly engaged in gigs on Airtasker who are affected. By encouraging a race to the bottom, everyone suffers," Secretary of Unions NSW Mark Morey said in a statement on Tuesday.
"As things presently stand, if someone slipped and cracked their head while performing a cleaning gig through Airtakser, they would have no entitlement to compensation."
Airtasker is an online platform where people advertise tasks they need done and potential workers pitch for the job.
A recent report by Unions NSW revealed workers were receiving $17 per hour for jobs like cleaning and gardening and only $14.45 an hour for office administration and research after Airtasker took its 15 per cent fee.
Minimum wage in Australia is $17.70 per hour as of July 1.
On Monday Airtasker updated its recommended rates of pay by up to 45 per cent so workers get at least $21.25 per hour for small or basic tasks after the 15 per cent fee.
The company said it adjusted its price guide based on a review of market data, not in relation to Union NSW's report.
"The average value of tasks on Airtasker has increased over time as the platform has grown. We've updated our recommended rates to reflect this. This isn't the first time we have done this," CEO Tim Fung said in a statement on Tuesday.
Unions NSW says the updated price guide is a positive step but the company still has other "alarming workplace breaches" including no superannuation, no workers compensation and no casual or leave loading.
"Websites such as Airtasker unpick 150 years of protest and agitation for decent conditions. It's not only the workers directly engaged in gigs on Airtasker who are affected. By encouraging a race to the bottom, everyone suffers," Secretary of Unions NSW Mark Morey said in a statement on Tuesday.
"As things presently stand, if someone slipped and cracked their head while performing a cleaning gig through Airtakser, they would have no entitlement to compensation."
No comments:
Post a Comment